Indies for the weekend
2022-04-29 by George P
Postbird in Provence
Postbird is a game best played at the end of an exhausting or stressful day as it is such an
uplifting and wholesome experience, and can even be a real mood-changer. Welcome to the
beautiful fictional French sea town of Montélimace. A petite but delightful location with
plenty of eccentric and adorable inhabitants. In the game, you take the role of Marcel, the
town’s new post bird, and it is your job to deliver the incoming parcels to their correct receiver
with your trusty tricycle. However, the game’s true charm stems not from delivering packages
but rather from exploring its world. This is a game where you should not worry too much
about goals and objectives. Take your time to appreciate the wonderful stylized low-poly
aesthetic, the soothing music and ambiance, the silly characters and quirky dialogue, and the
town’s different landmarks. By exploring the game’s world, you will realize that there are
many beautiful landscapes to see, plenty of achievements to unlock, and a lot of fun things to
notice. The gameplay flow and overall style of Postbird are reminiscent of titles such as Alba:
A Wildlife Adventure or A Short Hike. These games belong to an emerging genre that aims not
to challenge the player or invoke an intense set of emotions, but rather to create a framework
that encourages relaxation, mindfulness, and tranquillity. It is a type of experience that
inspires the player to slow down and appreciate not the final objective but rather the journey
it takes to get there. And while Postbird is not as deep or elaborate as similar titles, it is still
an experience that manages to successfully execute many of these characteristics that define
its genre. This is a great game to start the weekend and slow down after a long and nerveracking week.
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Moonleap
Moonleap is a great example of how when a very simple concept is executed competently
and under a consistent vision it can produce brilliant results. At first glance, the game looks
like your average run-of-the-mill platformer. You know the story: avoid the spikes, dodge the
enemies, climb the vines, jump from platform to platform, collect the stars, and so on.
However, the game presents a major twist that acts as Moonleap’s core gameplay loop. Every
time you jump with your adorable crescent hero the world switches from day to night and
vice versa. When you switch between these two modes you will notice that the game’s levels
not only look different but also play differently. For example, traps that exist during the day
may not exist during the night, blocks may be located in different positions between the two
modes, enemies may be asleep during the night; and more. Moonleap cleverly uses this
simple core mechanic and combines it with inventive level design and smart puzzles to create
an experience that is both smooth and engaging. On many of its levels, the game also
introduces tricky and carefully thought-out twists that not only ensure that the gameplay
stays fresh, but also encourage the player to think outside the box. Additionally, Moonleap’s
aesthetics are very consistent with the author’s overall vision and even complement the
game’s platforming and puzzle-solving elements in subtle ways. Moonleap’s beautiful color
palette, clean sprites, distinct creature designs, fantastic retro music, and precise sound
effects, not only make the gameplay feel more fun and playful but also provide visual and
auditory cues that make the game’s mechanics feel very intuitive. At its foundation, Moonleap
is a puzzle platformer. However, most of the game’s levels also include a strong emphasis on
precision platforming which in my experience made the gameplay feel more dynamic and
gave Moonleap the opportunity to further develop its own unique identity in relation to
similar titles. I hope the author chooses to further expand this game as there is a great deal
of potential in its concept and it would be a delight to see more complex and difficult levels
in the future.
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We Follow the Fickle Path
For me, We Follow the Fickle Path has been one of the year’s most unexpected experiences so far. Surprisingly, this short story about ants is one of the most alluring cases of a “choose your own adventure” type of game, and a great example of how interactive visual novels can successfully approach atmosphere, immersion, and world-building in a very minimal fashion. The game begins with a deadly tragedy, where a part of your ant colony is separated from the rest of the hive. Following the catastrophe, the protagonist and the survivors embark on a quest to navigate the unknown trails of this dark world and find safety in a new home. In this journey, filled with struggle and sorrow, the game explores the clash between individuality and the will of the collective, as well as themes of personal identity, uniformity, family, and loss. The writing and storytelling of this game are both remarkable in quality, and more importantly, they are very well-coordinated with the game’s greater themes and atmosphere. The visual presentation is an interesting combination between hand-drawn pencil drawing and high-resolution pixel art. The visuals greatly match the game’s overall aesthetic vision and help the storytelling and world-building feel more intriguing, lively, and impactful. The music is also a big highlight of the game. The soundtrack is simple but very memorable and reinforces the game’s grim atmosphere. The sound design is also in-line with what the game is trying to achieve, but there were instances where I felt like certain scenes could have greatly benefitted from some extra work as far as sound effects and audio mixing go. There is also a surprising amount of replayability in this game. Not only are there multiple endings to discover, but your choices also determine the path of your journey, and can reveal pieces of the story that you may not have witnessed during your first run. Additionally, while replaying the game, I noticed a few subtle details in the story and some clever patterns in the dialogue system that made me further appreciate the overall experience. It is clear that a lot of thought went into this project and this is a great game for any fan of interactive storytellingGame Link
